WALSALL will face strife-torn Gillingham at Bescot Stadium tomorrow with manager Paul Merson hammering home to his players: "We must not take this game lightly".

WALSALL will face strife-torn Gillingham at Bescot Stadium tomorrow with manager Paul Merson hammering home to his players: "We must not take this game lightly".

Merson admits it's the right time to be meeting the Gills, whose billing among the pre-season promotion favourites has proved miles awry.

They languish in the bottom five (albeit only three points behind Walsall!), are ravaged by injuries and suspension and still reeling from the humiliation of FA Cup defeat to Burscough last Saturday.

Former Saddlers striker Darren Byfield is among those crocked. Current Saddlers midfielder Smith, back with the Gills on loan, is ineligible. Manager Neale Cooper is under colossal pressure.

Walsall have a few injuries but are in a better state than tomorrow's opponents. So Merson will challenge his team to do the professional thing and take full advantage.

"They are struggling to put a team out," the Saddlers' manager said. "So it's the right time to play them.

"But we definitely won't under-estimate them. They have still got some good players.

"And they will be dangerous. After what happened in the FA Cup last week they will still be hurting and desperate to bounce back.

"So we can't take the game lightly. If we do we could get stung.

"If we can get three points it would be three wins from four games and a great way to go into a difficult November and December with a lot of games ahead. If we win the next two games we'll be around eighth or ninth in the table, just off the play-offs, and with all the injuries we've had that would be a good effort.

"But first and foremost we've got to do the job against Gillingham."

Merson was today still trying to recruit loan reinforcements at right-back, where Craig Pead is still suspended, and in midfield, where Simon Osborn is likely to again be sidelined by his hamstring strain.

Club skipper Chris Westwood is fit again but could find himself employed at right-back as Ian Roper and Julian Bennett have linked up so well in the centre in the last three games.